Monday, July 27, 2015

The Ingredients of Family Discipleship

It is good for parents to read books on biblical
parenting periodically. We need our minds exercised and our hearts stirred in
the task of discipling our children. Intentional
Parenting fulfills these purposes by its positive and encouraging tone and
its challenge to make parenting a consuming lifestyle rather than a list of tasks.

The book consists of six chapters and includes
study questions. The first three chapters teach parents the need for intentional
parenting, love, and for seven ingredients of family discipleship. The most
valuable point of these chapters is that parenting relates to who parents are
and how they live their lives before God. The seven ingredients for parenting
described in Chapter 3 include studying the gospel, biblical theology,
systematic theology, the great commission, Christian living, and Christian
worldview. His point is that without at least some knowledge of these areas,
Christian parents will not be equipped to grow in Christ themselves and if they
are deficient in this area, then they will not be able to disciple their
children effectively. While counsel such as, “you must immediately commit to
read the Bible from cover to cover in ninety days” (49) is overstated, the fact
is that most parents are not adequately educating themselves in the truths of
Scripture. If we do not know and practice the truth, then we cannot train our
children in the truth.

Chapters 5 and 6 provide wonderful counsel on how
to disciple our children through every area of life and to aim at their hearts.
Thompson’s counsel is specific enough to be helpful and Christ-centered enough
to prevent Pharisaism.

Above all else, Intentional Parenting will show you that you cannot be a godly
parent without first being a godly Christian. This is exactly the kind of
challenge that we need as parents. The author completes his task with winsome
encouragement without diminishing our responsibility to get to work.